Fiji's interior finally gets supplies with PM's visit

Transcript

SISTER KALALA KIUTAU: "Teaching the village children was something special for me. I wanted to them to have a life, that's the only way of cutting the cycle of poverty."

In the distance the hills are barren, or with bent and twisted trees like thin wiry hairs on a camel's back. In front of us, rubble where there used to be houses.

GITA: "So we went to the prayer room and when we went to the prayer room, the second room was gone."

ALEX PERROTTET:"And how close is the second room? Right next to the prayer room?"

GITA: "Yeah."

AP: "The roof is completely gone in here. And what were you doing in the prayer room, were you praying?"

GITA: "Yeah, just praying."

AP: "What were you saying to God?"

GITA: "You know like God, don't, you know I was scared. We couldn't say any more things, it was just praying."

Shimran wants to get back to school soon, but often can't get there when the dirt road is flooded.

As we leave, a neighbour drops by to deliver a food hamper. No aid has reached this far yet and people are helping each other.

We finally arrive in Nadalei, where a tank on the hill is overflowing with water - the one consolation for these devastated people.

Sister Kalala's convent is no more.

SISTER KALALA: "This used to be the kitchen. This is the kitchen and this is the dining room, oh man."

AP: "I mean describe to me what you're feeling looking at this house, this wreck of a house."

SISTER KALALA: "Oh man I want to cry."

LEONE RASELALA: "I was helping the evacuees, because the classrooms got wet due to the strong winds. All these rooms were wet. People had umbrellas, holding their umbrellas in the evacuation centre. Inside the room, and trying to stop the wind from opening the door."

He talks about Semi Nasalasala, who is lying asleep his body bruised and bandaged. He was torn from his family and thrown from his house. They found him three hours later half buried in rubble, with a deathly cold body.

LEONE RASELALA: "This is him. He was so cold. He could have died of the cold that day. If they were not early to find him. If we had waited for dawn, he would have been dead by then."

Teresia Cawai is here too, a single mum with her three children. She farms and sells food to get by, but there's nothing left.

TERESIA CAWAI: "I'm selling some vegetables, fruits, planting cassava, to help my babies' clothes, needs and wants."

AP: "And what happened to your crops in the cyclone?"

TC: "Oh all damaged."

SISTER KALALA: "Despite the suffering, there's hope. People are already nailing one house here, and that gives hope, that they don't just sit around and wait for help."

A Vodafone van arrives, the volunteers upbeat.

AP: "Hello Vodafone, how are you? What have you brought the people here?"

VODAFONE: "Brought them some basic food items, and some lollies for the kiddies."

AP: "What else?"

VODAFONE: "Lots of love."

SISTER KALALA: "These people have been affected psychologically, emotionally, do you have any plan put in place for debriefing?"

FRANK BAINIMARAMA: "We are depending on people like you. That subject has not come up but I know that problem exists, I know for a fact. We need to sort that out at some stage."

The PM knows there will be many problems to solve. One is the economy.

FRANK BAINIMARAMA: "That has been going up, been growing at a rapid rate. But all of that went down the drain in 24 hours when Winston came along. So we need to go back, get back on track."

SISTER KALALA: "And it's very important for the people to know that they are, they are not alone at this time. That's kind of a moral support."

She reflects on the PM's reaction to her question.

AP: "Sister I think you just got yourself a job."

SISTER KALALA: "I know, I don't know why did I ask that question... Nevermind."

AP: "But he said he was aware of it..."

SISTER KALALA: "Yes, yes and I'm glad that he does not let that go undealt with. It will come, that kind of help, psychological... And if it's not coming I will insist that it will happen."